Sourdough Starter

Like many people who do spring cleaning when March (or for us upstate NYers, May) rolls around each year, I also tend to do “fall cleaning” in September and October, in anticipation of the months of hibernation ahead. I like to wrap up major home projects we’ve been working on, give away or donate things we don’t need, and make sure that our freezer and shelves are well-stocked as we settle in for the dreary months ahead. As part of that, I decided that I need to tackle some of the things on my “kitchen projects” list, and one that has been high on that list for a while now is sourdough bread. Some of you may remember my disappointment when I received sourdough starter from King Arthur Flour that is processed with peanuts…and since I couldn’t use it, I decided to give it away. Fortunately, King Arthur Flour also has a recipe for making your own sourdough starter from scratch. And although their directions for care of sourdough starter pertain only to the starter they sell, one quick live chat with one of their helpful bakers was all it took to create a complete list of instructions for those who want to make their own. I’ve detailed the instructions below so that you can make and maintain your own starter. Be sure to check back on Wednesday for a sourdough recipe in which to use it!

Step 1: In a large glass bowl, pour in the water. Dissolve the honey in the water. Add in the yeast, and let that dissolve as well. Gradually stir in the flour, and then cover the bowl with a clean dish cloth. The mixture will begin to bubble almost immediately.

Place the bowl in a warm place and let it sit for 8-12 hours.

Step 2: After the 8-12 hours, stir the starter and discard half. Add 1/2 cup warm water and 1 cup flour. The starter should have the consistency of pancake batter. Cover the bowl with the dish cloth again and let sit for 2-4 hours more, until bubbly again.

Step 3: After the 2-4 hours, stir the starter and discard half again. Add another 1/2 cup warm water and 1 cup flour. Cover the bowl with the dish cloth again and let sit 2-4 hours longer. The starter should be bubbly, though not as bubbly as it was when you first started.

Step 4: Stir the starter down and then place it in a stoneware or glass container, loosely covered with a lid. Store in the refrigerator.

To maintain: To maintain your starter, try to feed it at least once a week, although it can go for a month or longer. The starter may have a substantial layer of green, grey, or brown liquid on the top and that is okay; it is simply alcohol from the fermenting yeast.

(Note however that if the liquid is pink, or if the starter smells bad (rather than just tangy), then the starter has attracted the wrong bacteria and should be discarded.)

Stir the liquid into the mixture below (you can also drain some of the liquid off the top, if you want). Discard half, then add 1/2 cup warm water and 1 cup flour. Stir the starter until smooth and then return it to the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.

26 Responses

Great post, Tracy! I just threw away my sourdough starter that had turned funny colors after months of neglect this summer. Oops! I was just thinking that I need to make my own last week and I never got it started. Adding it to the list… As soon as the basement is clean. 🙂

I’ve been wanting to try this for so long! I’m glad you said there are no stupid questions here, because I think this one might be: Is there a reason why it has to be a glass bowl? Would it react badly to a metal or plastic one?

Maggie – Great question! Since sourdough is acidic, it will react with metal or plastic bowls. It’s also porous, so it can absorb the metallic or plastic taste. That’s why it’s best to use a glass bowl, or ceramic if you don’t have glass. Hope that helps! 🙂

Great post, Tracy. I really need to get that starter keeper from KAF. When I ordered just their starter last year, I put it in glass jars in the fridge, and then neglected it for weeks. Sadly, it turned really gross colors, and I recently threw it away. If it lived in a bigger container that couldn’t be shoved to the back of the fridge, I think I’d pay a lot more attention to it.

And Paul, while you may be right, yeast definitely does enhance the flavor of the starter intensely. I wouldn’t want sourdough without it.

For more great information try The Fresh Loaf website, they have a few forums exclusively for sourdough bread, including making and maintaining your own starter, baking sourdough bread, etc….. huge amount of info there.

Just a reminder that filtered water is best. Tap water has chlorine in it that cat kill the yeast or at least slow it down. My city adds WAY too much to the water supply and I can easily kill off my yeast if I don’t filter.

Sue – You need to discard half when you feed your starter or else you’ll end up with a starter that’s taking over your refrigerator since you’ll just keep adding to it. Usually you are discarding about a cup, and you can certainly use that in a recipe or give it to a friend. Hope that helps!

Super excited to use this recipe and I’m currently on step 4. I’ve discarded and added, discarded and added and now ready to store but mine is really thick kinda like really wet bread dough. Is this what it’s supposed to be like or should it be runnier? I really hope I did this right.

Hi , I am new at making sour dough starter and I failed 3 times this week. Can u make the starter in a 32 oz jar and cover with plastic? I”m using a pickle jar. and I put it on the counter next to stove. My sister in law has her own recipe and I have failed with it. Going to try this one and see if it works. Thanks for sharing and God bless! Jazzy

Jazzy – I think a pickle jar may be a little too small; I use a medium-large mixing bowl to make the starter, and then transfer it to a 1 quart capacity crock for storage. You’re going to want to store the starter in the refrigerator once you’ve finished making it unless you plan to feed it daily – otherwise, it can be fed weekly if stored in the refrigerator.

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About Sugarcrafter

Hi there! I’m Tracy, and I live in upstate NY. My husband and I met in college and have been married since 2005. A Canning, baking, writing, photography, and even cleaning (yes, cleaning – it can be oddly relaxing), are all things that I enjoy. This blog brings all of those passions together – but […]more →